Freshwater stingrays...Anyone have them??

Question

I just saw a freshawater stingray at a pet store yesterday and was wondering if anyone had one. Are they difficult to keep? Susceptible to diseases because they are scaleless? etc etc

I've been keeping fish for about 5 months so i know all the basics and stuff. Would it work in a semi-aggressive tank?

Just to clarify, this is a fresh water tank.

Other fish include 5 tiger barbs, 4 albino tiger barbs, 4 giant danios, 1 clown loach, 1 striata loach, 3 skunk loaches, 2 angelicus loaches, 1 yoyo loach (I love loaches...can you tell?) 2 honey fire gouramis, 1 blue gourami, 1 gold gourami, 1 rainbow shark, 1 flying fox, 2 leeri gouramis, some guppies,1 australian rainbow. (I know, there are a few peacful in there but they all get along.) 4 mystery snails. 2 crayfish. i would change out the gravel to sand and get a larger tank, maybe a 100 gallon wide tank.

I never realized I had so many fish.

Great answer magicman. Just what I was looking for. I thought there might be a problem with the loaches. I've been researching but there aren't any quality sites online for these guys as they don't seem to be very popular of a species to keep (price perhaps, the go for about $175)

Answer 1

I have a pool of 5 at home and would first say they really aren't what I would call a beginners fish. They do need quite a bit of space and most will grow to over 2 feet across, some in excess of 3 feet. At least a 70 gallon tank is recommended for even the smaller species. They are very touchy about water quality and prone to some diseases and very difficult to treat since as you noted they are scaleless. Another factor is heating the tank. Many, many rays get burned on heaters so heaters must be protected to prevent this.

The best tank for a ray is a species only tank, but you can keep them with top water fishes in a fairly deep tank. Since they are really mild mannered fish, they don't do well with any fish that will be even mildly agrreesive or territorial.

You can complicate the situation by adding the fact that they can and do sting and the sting is very nasty. They shed the spine used for stinging from time to time and even a shed spine in the sand can cause quite a nasty wound is you get stuck.

Research this one very, very carefully and plan well ahead before you get one.

ADDITION: I wouldn't recommend on for your tank since you have so many bottom fish already, they would bother the ray and the ray could bother them as well. Also, the ray would most likely make a quick dinner out of your snails and crayfish.

MM

Answer 2

they are freshwater fish and high priced for a freshwater fish. they many times run approximately $20-$50 a fish, and does maximum suitable in a school, ideally of 8-10 fish, yet a minimum of 5! If saved singly or in pairs that is totally aggressive and go through undesirable well being. it is seen endangered interior the wild (despite if i do no longer think of it is surely on the purple record yet), yet has been bred for years in captivity. it is likewise extensive-unfold because of the fact the Roseline Shark, Denison's barb, Denisoni barb, Denison's flying fox, Bleeding eye barb, Indian flasher barb. Its scientific call is Puntius denisonii. they are river fish and do maximum suitable in aquariums set up for river fish (extra modern-day than ordinary freshwater tanks, extreme oxygen, pristine water). It jumps. It likes cooler water with 77F being the better end of the variety. it is maximum suitable housed with Danios and different fish that like slightly cooler water and better modern-day. The tank it is in could be 4 ft long, so a fifty 5 is incredibly plenty the minimum tank length. It would not tolerate undesirable water high quality nicely in any respect, and surely desires a bigger tank with wonderful bypass.

Answer 3

I've had one (a salt water stingray) and though they are beautiful to watch they are difficult to keep. I lost mine after a few months due to a disease. Part of the problem is the salt water tank. Unless you are experienced with keeping and maintaining salt water fish, I advise you not to get it.

Also stingrays are not very aggressive and require a soft sandy bottom in the tank (since they bury themselves). Putting them with semi-aggressive fish could be disasterous.